Slip, Fall, Caught
by mydoctortennant
Summary: [Reela!Friendship turning into a complete!Reela] A little slip makes Ray nurse. Oneshot turned multichapter by demand.
1. A Slip, A Fall and a Failure to Catch

**Having finished by multi-chapter fics for now (a sequel is coming for Not So Lost In America) I have resorted to finishing off my to-do list, this fic and another called I Dream, which is on it's way, but finished. I need to go down my to-do list in fanfiction which is now ten long not fourteen. Anyways, here is a one-shot Ray/Neela friendship (shock horror!) I hope you like it.**

Running out of the apartment block, late as per usual, they both raced to catch the El for County. So much for working opposite shifts, they always seemed to be working together along with Abby/ 'The Three Amigos' as Morris liked to call them. He loved to call them out on this they did wrong. Like last week, Abby's failure to recall simple respiratory principles, Neela putting umbilical lines in, on a Newborn, without supervision and Ray's fatal air embolism. She had holy agreed then that getting 'Mad drunk and picking a bar fight with a load of Lockhart's' was a good idea.

Sitting down in two vacant seats, Ray and Neela talked about the usual things. Who was paying what, who would do the shopping, when Ray's next gig was, and where. As the train pulled into their stop they leapt from their seats and walked briskly side-by-side down the steps to the hospital. As they neared the bottom a piece of invisible ice played booby-trap to Neela as she slipped.

Falling down five steps to the bottom, Ray having reached out to grab her, narrowly missing, he watched her fall, jumping down after her landing as aid at her side.

"Bullocks!" she exclaimed loudly. Hearing her ankle make such a cracking noise couldn't be healthy.

"Neela are you okay?" asked a now crouching Ray.

"I think I twisted my ankle." She offered reaching out a hand, which Ray grabbed as he stood and helped her up. The slightest pressure on her foot and a seething pain shot though her left limb. Falling slightly, she stopped as a pair of strong arms caught her.

"Okay, Roomie. That ankle's not right, let's get you inside and I'll see what I can do." He picked her up bridal style and carried her towards the doors and straight through to Admit. "What's free?"

"What you guy's get married or something and need somewhere to consummate you're married before work?" Frank asked deadpan and serious. Ray gave him a look that told him to 'get real and be helpful' before Frank spoke again. "Curtain Four's open."

"Thank you Frank." Ray carried the girl in his arms over to the bed and lay her down, propping her ankle on the bed straight out in front of her. "Right stay there I'll go chuck our stuff in our lockers and I'll be right back."

On his return Ray was carrying a chart and was filling out the details. "Right Dr. Rasgotra, what seems to be the problem?"

"My retard of a roommate can't catch?" Ray tilted his head at her and smiled.

"I did try, but if you were so intent on ice skating, you could have said, I would have taking you to the rink at Millennium Park after out shift."

"You're funny; you should stop all this band nonsense and become a stand up comedian."

"I do try." Ray smiled once more handing the chart to Neela before taking it upon himself to check over her ankle. An involuntary spark shot through Neela as his fingers went about running over her bare ankle. "That a pretty bad sprain, you'll want to get a few x-rays to check. But you should be out of here on crutches before the shifts out." He smiled before disappearing to look after a few more patients.

888

A few hours had past before Ray finally came back with x-rays in hand.

"You know frm the speed at which your moving, I'm not surprised people hate going to hospital, you have to wait so long for anything to happen!"

"For you information Roomie, I've gotten ten patients out of here since I brought you in, so if you wouldn't mind." He went to hold the films up to the light to show her what was wrong, "From the way you landed," he started to explain before she took the films from him and held them up to the light, "As you can see here, you've chipped a piece of the bone off, off of your ankle bone, and you've got some bruising to the cartilage in your heel, but apart from that you'll alright, you'll know there's not a whole lot surgery can do about the mini piece of bon apart from say 'rest and let it heal' so I prescribe bed rest and a doting roommate for you."

He took the films back from her and put them in the file. "You, Dr. Rasgotra, are good to go, let me just find you some crutches, and as we're pretty dead Pratt's given me permission to take you home and make sure you get better."

Before Neela could respond Ray made his way to the door to pick up a pair of short crutches for her to use. "Sam made a good job of you're bandage." He commented looking at the handy work before Neela turned off the bed to stand. She didn't have her shoe on, but she had been wearing her smart shoes and they only dug into her sore ankle, so she left it discarded on the floor.

"We'll need to get some more bandages to change it later." Neela said as Ray helped her stand.

"I'll grab some from the lock-up when I got get our coats." He offered as she began to make her way to admit. "I'm signing her out and me off." Ray said turning away to grab their coats back from the locker room.

888

"RAY!" Neela found herself shouting at the top of her lungs. The television remote was just out of reach, and Celebrity Poker was about to start.

"What?" after five hours of answering her every call, her every need, he had had enough, she couldn't or wouldn't do anything on her own. He appeared from his room with an annoyed look on his face before it cracked into laughter as he saw her stuck between the coffee table and sofa. "How the hell did you manage that?" He asked walking over and hitching her up to the sofa by her underarms.

"Remote." The only answer he received with her pointing at it. He picked it up, slumped down next to her and switched to the channel that Celebrity Poker was starting on. "Thanks." She smiled, before settling on the sofa, head on his shoulder watching her favourite program.

**Please review, you know it helps me improve the advice you give.**


	2. A Show, A Carry and Embarassing Feelings

**As requested by a few of you. I've decided to extend the fic originally intended to be a one-shot, so I hope this doesn't disappoint.**

Chapter Two

Having been flicking through the television shows for the last few hours, Neela had comfortably fallen asleep on the sofa. On Ray. He looked at her amused and tried to shift without waking her.

Why was it whenever they did it in the movies, it looked so easy? He was stuck with her head half on his chest, and half on his shoulder, so moving straight forward was out of the question. It was an ordeal shifting sideways and keeping her in her position, soon he managed to get his arms around her to pick her up and take her to her room, her bed. But it was no mean feat.

Once he reached her room, he had to fiddle about opening the door with his elbow; he was lucky it was a push down handle, not a turn doorknob. Lightly kicking the door open he had to catch it again with his foot to stop it from hitting the wall. Nearly off-balancing he made his way as quickly as he could to her bed, putting her down on the left hand side, the side he knew, somehow, was hers.

Having lay her on top of the covers he left her, he couldn't manage not to disturb her if he had to struggle with the duvet as well. He made his way back to the lounge and turned the television off from the pointless nighttime TV it was showing him, and made his way back to the couch to straighten it up. Picking up the empty beer bottles from the coffee table and putting them in the recycling bin they kept under the sink. 

It was odd; Neela had rubbed of on him in many ways. He was picking up after himself, a little more anyway; he always seemed to be drinking tea instead of coffee, unless he really needed to wake up. He's happily watch celebrity poker, and turned down his music as soon as she was home.

Now she was out of action for a few days, he was going to have to be picking up after himself more, and after her, and helping her with everything else she would normally be able to do walking. Even though she had crutches she hated using them, and relied on him to bring her pretty much everything she wanted. 

The thing was he didn't mind obliging. He found it rather comical the situations she got herself in when he hadn't helped her, but he liked her to rely on him. It was a strange sort of comfort that managed to make him feel better than if it were a patient he had cured or helped in anyway.

He looked back in her room now, smiling as she rolled over and was hugging herself. Her thumb was so dangerously close to her mouth he thought she was about to start sucking on it. That would be some good ammunition had he ever needed it. Though before her thumb made it into her moth she moved again and her hand moved away from her mouth. _Damn._

He moved off to his own bedroom. Not bothering to turn on the light, he stripped himself of his t-shirt and sweats he had changed into before the remote incident. Climbing into bed, still wearing his boxers and socks, he flicked his alarm off. Tomorrow was his day off after a week pulling doubles and tiring day shifts. It only meant he would be looking after Neela all day - she had been given the week off to rest her ankle - and he was sure he'd be pulling some more doubles covering for her.

888

Neela's eyes flickered open when the daylight hit her face. She looked over at her bedside clock and read: 6:30. _SHIT!_ She thought, forgetting about her accident she went to scramble out of bed, before she realised she was still in her clothes from the day before, and before she realised-

"OWH! SHIT!" she screamed at the top of her lungs as she put pressure down on her foot. She collapsed back into her bed, and began to wonder how she had gotten there, she certainly didn't remember walking there, and there were no crutches in sight so she assumed Ray had brought her in. After all, the last thing she remembered was the television set and a warm body next to her. Under her head.

She heard footsteps in the next room; Ray was awake, most probably because of her shouting. Maybe he was covering her shift. If he was, he was already late. So she doubted it was the latter.

"Neela?" she heard a tired voice ask from her door. She looked up and saw a topless, trouser-less Ray stood before her. 

"Did I wake you?" she asked, trying her best to put the screaming voice in her head to the back of her mind.

"Yeah, I heard you shout and crashing, so I came to see if you were okay. After I failed to catch you yesterday," he laughed, and Neela smiled in return. Now she remembered sitting on that bloody bed for a few hours waiting for Ray to do anything to help her. She had blamed him for not catching her as she slipped down the El Train steps. To his credit he had tried, but he had also failed.

"Never anything but truthful," she laughed as she turned to face her window from her bed. "Can I have a hand? Or my crutches?" Ray nodded and walked over to the bed, little did Neela know her crutches were just outside her door, but he liked to help her. 

"What do you want?" He asked, reaching her side he stood in front of her. 

"Can you grab my sweats and a t-shirt from the closet, then gimme a hand to the bathroom so I can attempt to get dressed?"

"Yeah sure," he made his way to her wardrobe and picked out a random selection, he held it up to himself comically, looked himself up and down, and smiled cheekily. "I don't think they'll suit me."

"Funny, now gimme a hand," she giggled as he draped the clothes over his arm and made his way to her. She stood shakily on her non-battered foot, as he came towards her. The space between them was so little; he could feel her breathe on his chest. Little did they both know, but both their hearts skipped a beat.

_Why does he insist on walking around in nothing but his bloody boxers and socks? Not only is it extremely off putting, but also it's slightly weird. Nobody wears socks to bed. Nobody but Ray apparently._ She looked up at him, to find him studying every contour of her dark-skinned face. "Uh, umm, let's get you to the umm, bathroom." He blinked a few times quickly before offering to pick her up.

He did so with an odd grace, she put her hands around his neck for extra support, but his strong arms seemed to have a good enough hold of her. He backed into the partially open bathroom door and placed her down next to the sink so she could use it for support.

"I'll just go grab you're crutches so you can get out when you need," he offered quickly, walking briskly and grabbing them without a second thought. Placing them just inside the door and shutting it behind him when he left. _Oh Jesus Christ BARNETT! Not the right person to be lusting after really is it? Or maybe she's the right one to _love_. She's smart, cute, she knows you, and you know her, and her name, which is a new thing for you. Okay shut up brain, she's my friend, my Roomie, and she's inured._

888

Neela hopped about trying to put her sweats on, she ended up leaning on the side of the bath hitching it up her good leg and then standing to pull it over the bad foot and ankle. The whole palaver took about five minutes. The t-shirt was easy. But it was just her luck he choose one of those loose but tight fitting t-shirts that clung in the right places and hung loosely to hide the indescribable lumps and curves that just needed hiding. God bless designers!

She brushed her hair sitting in the same position on the edge of the bed, and pulled it back messily into a loose bun. All the while she thought about those small moments when there was nothing to say. A comfortable silence taking in the, sights, she supposed. He had been looking at her so intently. It was so strange. This was Ray; he was the one with the one-night stands, the groupies, the commitment phobic man whore. But at the same time she found herself looking at him in a new light. 

Ever since the porch collapsed at the end of their intern year, she had found herself reflecting on how much he had changed a lot. It was odd to say the least. But she found herself thinking of him more than anyone, thinking _about_ him in ways she had never thought about anyone before, and certainly in ways she could never tell her mother about.

**Hope you like it. Please Review**** cause you it's love ******


	3. A Thought Some Feelings and Hopping Race

**Sorry for the delay. My Beta has been having problems with her computer, and not had access to word for a week. Pathetic excuse but true! So yeah beta'd by Maz, and I hope it was worth the wait!**

Neela emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, hopping along at a slow speed on her crutches. Fearing what would happen if she even tried speaking to Ray she avoided him altogether. It wasn't an easy task when he was your roommate, who was currently in the all-in-one kitchen-lounge-dining room making you a very typical English breakfast.

"You know what would be extremely amusing at the moment?" Ray asked an air of ease about him. Hopefully he was willing to forget what happened.

"No, what?" she answered, her voice questioning and worried.

"Racing you around this apartment on those things, I mean, you're so slow a tortoise could beat you," he replied leaning against the work top, had he been washing up? His arms were slightly wet and covered in some soap studs. _Well that's… odd._

"Ooookay, um Ray? Why are you washing up? You never wash up. Oh God, are you ill? Did you break something?" She paused for a second, her eyes widened and she sounded extremely worried, "Is my mother coming?"

"Yes." Neela looked increasing worried before he continued with his string of answers for her string of questions. "Because there was no room on the side for anything else, I know that, no I'm not ill, no I didn't break anything, and no, you're mother isn't coming," he finished with a smile. That's what she got when she didn't let him answer.

"God you had me worried there for a second, Ray," she said leaning on one crutch and putting her hand on her chest. Ray had to try with all his might not to look at her hand for too long. _Why did I have to pick that top?_ He asked himself picking up a tea towel and occupying himself with drying his hands.

Neela made her way to the couch before flicking the television set off of standby; Ray had obviously been the last one to turn it off, too lazy to go to the set itself to turn it off. She went through the TiVO menu and selected the Celebrity Poker from the night before. Ray must have set it to record because she knew she hadn't.

Ray sat himself down on the sofa next to her, nothing was said. They just sat there watching the images on the screen. Before too long Neela had yawned and moaned about being tired and rested her weary head on his shoulder to sleep. She didn't think about the consequences, she had quite forgotten about the awkwardness between them.

Thirty minutes passed before Neela woke up; her head had fallen onto the top of his well toned chest. It took her a while to figure out what her pillow actually was, but when she did she jerked away a little too quickly.

"Nice to see you too, Roomie," he laughed nervously before looking down to where her head was seconds earlier. "Dreaming about me were you?" he said with a cheeky grin seeing the wet patch on his shirt.

_Yes..._ "No," she said the second time that day forgetting she needed crutches and standing up, soon falling down back onto the sofa and toppling sideways, onto Ray.

"Must have been good for you to forget you can't walk," he paused. "Again," he added as an after-thought.

"Well I'm not used to depending on these pieces of crap, okay? So gimme a break!" she snapped before grabbing her crutches off the floor. A hand made its way to her shoulder stopping her from going much further.

"I'm sorry, Roomie," he offered her a small friendly smile before standing at her side and helping her.

"I don't need your help!" she half-shouted half-cried as she put weight on her foot trying to move away from him.

"Sure you don't. Look- I'm only trying to be a friend, if Abby was in my place she'd be doing the exact same thing."

"What- carrying me around, putting me to bed, recording my TV because I was gunna miss it? Honestly, Ray, people would think you're in love with me or something!" after she had said it she knew she shouldn't have, it was immature to say the least but the look of pain that flashed across Ray's face said it all. "I'm sorry, I'm gunna go," she said quickly and nervously before disappearing at her top speed into her room, shutting the door behind her.

"You're only telling the truth," he mumbled at her closed door before slumping down on the sofa and turning the set to standby. He looked up to the ceiling and let out a sign, closing his eyes for a few seconds he sucked in his cheeks and clenching his jaw. Why did he always have to mess things up? He began clicking his tongue in his closed mouth, and it wasn't long before he was trying to make a loud clicking noise to pass the time.

His attention turned to her door as he heard it click open.

"Did you say something about hopping races?"

-x-x-x-

"You are such a cheater!" Ray yelled at the top of his lungs after losing yet another race.

"I am not! You just hop whilst I use my resources, which are my crutches, as it stops me from falling over and hurting my foot even more!" She dignified her answer by flopping down onto the sofa, before reaching out her hand towards the table.

"Oh fat chance of that, Roomie! If you can win hopping races you can reach for your own drink!" He slumped down beside her, whilst she tilted her head at him and pleaded with him. "No!" She pulled her best sad look, wide eyes, upturned mouth, and he still refused. She sniffed comically before he finally gave in, passing her her drink, before relaxing back into the couch. "Next race, no crutches!"

"But what if I fall?" She sounded like a whiney four-year-old, desired effect accomplished.

"Then I'll just have to catch you!" he said with a twinkle in his eye and a wicked grin passing over his facial features.

"Oh no! No way! You didn't catch me yesterday and look where that ended me!" She indicated her foot which she was resting on a pillow on the coffee table before turning back to him. "I don't trust you, you'll break about every bone in my body before you realise you can't catch."

"I was caught unaware! This time I'll be expecting it!" he said in all manliness before jumping up from the couch pulling her with him. He led her, her hopping, to the mock up starting line. "Ready?" he asked and she shook her head. "GO!" They set out at a good speed. The track was between the coffee table and couch, around the coffee table's far side, in front of the TV, over to the cooker, to the front door and then back around behind the couch to the finishing line. Whoever could touch the TV remote first won.

They raced around and were now hopping over the cold floor of the kitchen, Ray edging in front. He took bigger jumps the more confident he got, Neela not far behind him.

-x-x-x-

There were times when he really wished he cleaned up; now was one of them. He was about to turn towards the sofa when he went flying over his own pack. At which point his leg flew out in front of Neela who barely missed it, falling over it and landing flat on top of him.

"Well, I said I'd catch you," he laughed, his own physical pain nothing compared to the emotional position he was in right now.

"Does underneath me count?" So her choice of words weren't the best, she realised this _after_ but for the moment they would do.

"Yes, you didn't technically land on the floor, you landed on me!" he joked attempting to push upwards but the weight of Neela on top of him stopped him from doing so. The rise and fall of his chest was rapid, and was getting quicker by the second. _Desperate to get are we? _She mused to herself, _not all completely one way then is it?_ She smiled, and he followed suit. _That_ smile that none of the nurses seemed to be able to resist. And if she admitted it, neither could she.

"Well, thank you." She smiled once more, her gaze flicking from his eyes to his lips, and straight back again, but he noticed, oh did he notice. His smile changed from his flirtatious, _I need,_ smile to his _Neela, I want_, smile. She soon bit down on her lip, "Well ugh, a hand would be nice."

He held his hand up to her as if to take hers in a hand shake and he laughed, "Nice to meet you, I'm Dr Ray Barnett, I live with an English doctor, who is a complete pain in the ass and, right now, my back as well!"

"Okay, okay!" she laughed rolling off of him to the carpeted floor. "Just remember, it was your fault! I'm blaming this on you!"

"Me?!" he retorted completely surprised and offended.

"It was your idea to race around- me not on my crutches- and your idea to fall over!"

"That wasn't in the plan!" he said simply; he looked over at her small form heaped on her side next to him. "It just kinda happened," he paused; he was looking her right in the eye, his stomach flopping around inside of him, _Why does she have to do this to me? _"Sorry."

"Good!" She smiled once again before sitting up, a second longer and she would have kissed him then and there, never a good plan when he's your colleague and roommate. Ray lay back for a second longer, _No, my life's not complicated!_ He thought before standing and helping Neela onto her one good foot. Hopping her over to the couch to sit, grabbing the TV remote up quickly.

He smirked at her, and she shot him a questioning look. "I win."

**Please Review ******** Reviews are good!**


	4. Waking, Dinner and More TV

**This is the penultimate chapter. Seriously, I've loved writing this one, it's been great fun just to play around with the humorous side of their friendship, along with the love bit of it too eheee! Thanks to Maz for beta-er. I'm sorry it's been a long time coming but Maz has been ill and I hate to post things without her seal of approval.**

**Thanks again for nominating/voting Not So Lost in America as First Place Best Post Ep Fic. I'm so happy/proud; it makes me want to write more. Sorry for not updating as quickly as I should!**

**Chapter Four**

It was getting late, his one day off in a long time had been full of compromising situations, laughter at their own stupidity, and last but by no means least falling asleep again on the two-seater in front of the TV.

As the street lamp flickered on outside the window, Ray blinked a few times, sniffing, and finding that he was rewarded with wild berry shampoo washed hair up his nose. This made him cough. His movement had jerked Neela awake. He had sat forward covering his mouth whilst he coughed; she fell off of his shoulder sideways onto the sofa. As soon as her head hit the cushions she sat up again in a moment of shock. Before realising where she was and settling back into the pillows.

Once his coughing fit was over, he turned to her, a pain in his voice from the need of water. "I should make us some dinner," he offered, getting up quicker than you could say 'Tell her' and disappearing head into the fridge. Pulling out an array of ingredients he opened up the floor cupboard and produced a frying pan/wok type thing, Neela had no idea.

Grabbing her crutches from the floor she made her way into the bathroom, reappearing a few minutes later feeling slightly fresher, and less of a dead weight like she had for most of the day.

"That smells so good," she enthused as she made her way to sit at the dinner table. Ray turned and flashed her a smirk of a smile before responding. A total mistake on his part, from Neela's point of view anyway, anything her freshening up had done to rid her of all thoughts of him had now successfully been throw out of the second storey window.

"I know I do but what about my cooking."

"Oh that's mature," she was rewarded once again with his smile, before he turned his back to her; he was very nearly done with the stir-fry-esque dish he was concocting.

"Don't want to disappoint now would I?" he turned to one of the wall cupboards and picked out two wine glasses before opening the cupboard beneath it and getting out two plates. Setting both on the table top he made his way back to the cooker, turning the hob off and taking the stir-fry to the table with a heatproof mat. "Dinner a la Barnett."

"It looks lovely, and smells good too," Neela offered holding out her plate for him to spoon a helping out for her.

"What your arm's as useless as your ankle?"

"Yup."

"That's what I thought," he smiled, taking her plate and filling it with the new dish he had made. The steam rose in wisps spreading the aroma about the room, filling their nostrils making their mouths water. Placing the plate in front of her, she lifted her fork and stabbed at the offending article, "Liar."

Neela's eyebrows knitted together, stopping the fork an inch from her mouth in confusion, "Huh?"

"You said you're arms were useless," he laughed, putting a mouthful of their cuisine in his mouth and chewing thoroughly before swallowing.

"Yeah well," she ate the food from her fork before replying properly, "I can't let the -what was it? - 'doting Roommate', off of his duties can I?" Ray laughed in reply, she had him there. His prescription for her was, "bed rest and a doting roommate" which he really didn't mind being. Though bed rest they hadn't particularly done, more like channel hopping and, more recently, hopping races around the lounge.

"I also prescribed bed rest, and I don't think hopping races around the apartment constitute as bed rest." Neela let out a half snort before continuing to eat her meal.

-x-x-

They finished their meal in companionable silence, finishing every scrap of nutrient on their plates. Neela was tempted to lick the plate clean but decided against it.

"Thank for dinner." The break in the silence armed Ray for what was coming next, a few hours on the sofa in yet more silence with occasional yells at the players of Celebrity Poker, or the World Poker Tour, or most likely both, with it all ending with a sleeping Neela on his shoulder. Which then led to him having to carry her to her room and, for the second night in a row, leaving her in her clothes to sleep.

"That's not a problem," he smiled picking up the plates and carrying them to the sink, turning the hot tap on and letting the water run over them for a few seconds. "Uh, maybe you should change, so you don't end up asleep in your day clothes again."

"That's probably a good plan," with that she left, no mention of why it was a good idea, or if it really was needed, because deep down she knew that he was right, she knew she would end up asleep on his shoulder. His undying ability to read her on such matters shone through at these moments. At others like the time on the floor earlier that day, well he didn't seem to be able to read her at all.

Maybe it was her, getting the wrong impression of it all. In a way she hoped that she wasn't. She had to admit living with Ray was never meant to be a permanent fixture, but now, after a few months, she had found that she rather liked it. So he was an inconsiderate asshole some of the time, but he made up for it.

It was times like this she really wished she knew what he wanted. What she wanted. She loved Michael, of course she did, but Ray, well he was Ray. He knew her, he paid special attention on how to annoy her, but he knew her all the same. He knew what to cook her, what TV she liked and, more importantly, he knew when to stop.

Michael on the other hand, didn't know her, he had disappeared to war without a trace, and she didn't know him. She could tell you what Ray's favourite band was, what TV he watched, his favourite film, and food or whatever, but Michael? She had no clue, no clue what-so-ever.

x-x

"Oh come on!" Neela found herself yelling at the TV, some unpredicted movement from one of the players on the World Poker Tour had conjured up such a response.

"Neela, you know this was filmed like a month ago right?" Ray said as he sat down beside her after washing up the remains of dinner. Cleaning down the kitchen surfaces and pretty much anything he could think of to avoid having to be put in yet another situation he'd rather wish he wasn't it.

"Your point?"

"Well, uh, they can't hear you, and well they really aren't gunna change their move just for you now."

"Ruin my fun," she tilted her head and rested it on his shoulder, a few months ago spending time with him was a chore, they argued and moving in with him was just a mad solution. But now it didn't seem that way at all. They had grown closer together and people were talking. The ER was a hive of gossip. With Frank, Jerry and Morris all at the helm, they were certainly going to be a good gossip topic. Especially since Frank had commented on Ray carrying Neela into the ER after her fall.

Granted, it probably wasn't a good idea on Ray's part, but there was no way she could have walked, she would have only caused herself more pain. Why did they have to work the same damn shifts? The whole idea behind the arrangement was that they would never see each other apart from in the cross over at work, that plan had gone to hell.

**Reviews will make the final (and written) chapter come quicker…**


	5. Bedtime, Bandages and The End

**The final chapter of possibly my favourite story to date that I have written. I'm so proud of it. Thank you so much to all those people that have reviewed over the chapters. Without you I would not have finished it. Thanks as always to Maz who has thoroughly beaten; I mean beta-ed this fic, thank you so much! I own you!**

**Chapter Five**

Time was kicking on, but this time Neela didn't find herself asleep on the sofa; successfully she had stayed awake for the duration of the television shows they had watched. But they had also started to watch another of Ray's god forsaken films.

She would never understand the thing he had with these films, they were scary, pointless and badly made. Okay, they were old, but the writing and the acting was just bad, and age was nothing to do with that. Ray told her she just didn't appreciate the art, but from where she had be sitting, with her head buried behind Ray's shoulder and, at some points, in his chest, there was no art to be appreciative of.

"I'm beat, I think I'm gunna go to bed," Ray said as soon as the credits started to roll. As much as he had liked and wanted Neela to be using him as a safety measure during the 'scary' bits, it played havoc with his mind, and he didn't want that a moment longer, sleeping it off was the best option.

"Sounds like a plan." Neela sat up reaching to the floor, she had forgotten that after eating she hadn't tested to see how well she could walk, she couldn't, but couldn't be bothered to go back and get her crutches so ended up hopping over to the sofa instead.

"Wanna hand?" Ray said offering out his for her assistance.

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Neela accepted, and pulling herself onto her right foot, her good foot. His hand made it around her waist as she hopped across to the doorway of her room. Unbeknownst to the owner of said hand, the friendly movement only served one purpose, speeding up the heart rate of the assisted which, in all truthfulness, was no help at all.

After kicking the door open more so they could both fit through easily, Ray lowered Neela down onto her bed, like she couldn't do it herself. He flicked the switched of her bed side light and drew the curtains shut.

_Okay, now that's just plain __weird._ She knew that Ray did know her quite well, very well in fact, well, probably better than anyone. But that didn't constitute the fact that she always did that before turning in. Every night like a ritual, she would enter her room in the dark, turn on her light and draw her curtains without really knowing it but now, thinking about it, she did it all the time and how in hell would he know that?

"Uh, thanks," Neela said picking up her book, well, a medical journal from the side table and settling down into her pillows.

"Any time, Roomie," he exited for a few seconds, re-entering with a box of bandages and plasters to redo her dressing before he left her for the night. He perched himself on the end of her bed, lifting her foot and resting it onto his lap. With a slight wince, Neela freely participated, settling back again once he had stopped manoeuvring her.

Gently he pulled off her thin ankle sock, trying his hardest not to hurt her more than necessary. Tugging lightly at the microspore tape that held her worn bandage in place, he unwound it with a professional demeanour.

"Okay, you want the heavy duty bandage or the light weight?"

Looking up from the medical journal she had started to read she considered her options, finally deciding on the safer option. "Heavy duty, better to have the support if I'm doing everything for myself tomorrow," she laughed and smiled shortly at him before turning her attention back to the journal, it was better than nothing.

x-x

Having made quick work of re-bandaging her foot, Ray secured it with another few pieces of microspore tape.

"There you go, good as new," he said as he looked over to Neela who put the medical journal on her lap. She smiled up at him, thankful, and wriggled her toes. "Can't be that bad if you can do that and not wince."

"Yeah well, I'm not putting weight on it am I?" They both laughed; unconsciously Ray had taken a hold of her foot, and gently started to run his fingers over her toes, rubbing the sole of her foot with his thumb. Neela relaxed back into her many pillows at the movement. A satisfied smile played across her lips as she closed her eyes.

Ray took in a deep breath. At least somebody was getting joy out of this. Right now the amount of pain he was in was excruciating.

After a few more minutes he had had enough. There was only so much a man could take. He lived with a woman, who he was pretty sure he was in love with, who didn't seem to care. At times when both of them could make it openly known, neither of them acted, Ray's fault as well as Neela's, but then he couldn't be sure how she felt.

At the same time, Neela was fighting another battle, his warm hands on her feet, about as close to him as she had ever been. Well, not really, but it seemed to her an intimate gesture. So when he tried to stand up, she was surprised to say the least.

"I'm gunna go," he said, feebly pointing towards the door of her bedroom.

"Ray," she started, she really didn't know where it was going to go, but she had started so she had to finish. He was looking at her, a look of what seemed was hope was in his eyes, and of pleading. "Thank you."

From keeping eye contact, to looking at the floor, a half heartened smile flittered across his face. "Anything for my Roomie." He turned on his heel, picking at his finger nails, chipping the black off of them.

Just as he reached the door she called his name again, he span around fast that Neela could have sworn she saw lines, like when the camera moves too fast on a movie. Within a second he was at her bedside, sitting balanced on the side; hand on her cheek pulling her towards him.

Once he had made his move towards her though, she hadn't needed much pulling. Instantaneously as he had turned she sat up on her bed moving over slightly to give him more room, giving herself just enough time to prepare for the onslaught coming her way.

From her cheek, his hand moved to have a soft hold of her neck, his fingertips just brushing the loose strands of hair. Both of them had closed their eyes for abrief moment before their lips first met. It was rude to stare. If looks could kill, and kisses could rule the world, they would have already taken over several times, and both of them would be beaming with life.

After a fair few seconds, they found themselves with their foreheads resting against each other's, eyes still closed and smiles showcasing exactly what it was they were feeling at that exact moment.

That feeling? True Love.

"I said I'd do anything," Ray joked as he gently pressed his lips to her nose, then again to her lips in a less desperate charade.

"Mmm," she said breaking he kiss with another smile, "you do 'doting roommate' very well."

"Why thank you," he said rewarding her with another quick kiss. "And I'll tell you another thing," he opened his eyes it find hers looking at him with a knitted brow, "I finally caught you."

**Quite possibly shorter than usual chapters, but I love it all the same. Thanks again and reviews make me happy!**


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